Journalist Paul Brown has branded Tanguy Ndombele a "total liability" when Tottenham are out of possession.
How did Tanguy Ndombele perform in the north London derby?
Sunday marked an incredibly disappointing afternoon for Tottenham as they limped to a harrowing 3-1 defeat at the hands of north London rivals Arsenal.
It wasn't just the scoreline but also the manner of performance that caused concern, with Brown dubbing it Spurs' worst display for some time.
Ndombele's individual performance was particularly underwhelming. Although he registered two tackles and four dribbles while completing 85% of his passes, the Frenchman failed to have any significant impact on the match and was subbed off in the 69th minute.
Arsenal caused constant problems for Spurs on the counter-attack and much of that stemmed from the freedom the likes of Emile Smith Rowe and Martin Odegaard were afforded in midfield, with Ndombele doing little to stop their threat on the break.
What has Paul Brown said about Ndombele?
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the Daily Star journalist questioned the former Lyon man's impact out of possession and even dubbed him a "total liability" off the ball.
He told GMS: "Ndombele at least gives you some threat but when you don't have the ball he is a total liability, you can't trust him.
"And when you're playing against a team who are clearly firing and well on top, as Arsenal were, they were almost playing with a man down. I honestly don't see what Ndombele gives to that team sometimes."
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Should Ndombele be dropped?
It seems manager Nuno Santo does need to make some changes before Tottenham's next Premier League match against Aston Villa, with the midfield in particular requiring a rethink.
It still remains to be seen whether Ndombele - who cost Spurs a club-record £54m - and Dele Alli can operate effectively together in the same three-man midfield.
Both are naturally forward thinking players to the extent that they've previously operated in the No.10 role for Spurs, so it's perhaps inevitable that playing them either side of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg leaves the middle of the park incredibly open.
While Brown has been particularly critical of Ndombele, Alli arguably performed even worse on Sunday and found himself hauled off for Oliver Skipp at half-time.
So perhaps Nuno will spare Ndombele from the axe and instead demote Alli to the bench, in favour of a more robust engine room that allows for the France international's offensive instincts.
Thursday's Europa Conference League clash versus Mura should give a hint as to whether one or either will retain their place for Sunday's meeting with Aston Villa.